


Four Fifths

by bobross



Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: Dissociative Identity Disorder, Gen, Unrealistic Portrayal of a Mental Disorder
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-27
Updated: 2013-06-27
Packaged: 2017-12-16 07:34:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 490
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/859535
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bobross/pseuds/bobross
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>Three months after his resurrection, Sherlock asks where John is.</i>
</p>
            </blockquote>





	Four Fifths

**Author's Note:**

> Short and very self-indulgent, with no pretensions of accuracy. This is not intended to be a realistic portrayal of DID or any other mental disorder.

Helene wears John's body like a shroud. She is over eighty years old, widowed, and German. Sherlock knows these things after two minutes in her company. The rest—former NSF, two of three children dead, fond of candles and ribbons—he learns from Andrew.

Andrew is Helene's neighbor and John's surgeon under fire. He is distant at first, wary and quiet. "You knew me the best, maybe," he remarks once, gazing at Sherlock wearily. "I chased you round London most often, anyway."

\-----------------------------------------------------------

Three months after his resurrection, Sherlock asks where John is. The _real_ John. Someone straightens up, looks at him frankly, and tells him they're _all_ the real bloody John, fuck you very much.

Sherlock finds he rather likes the Captain once they're properly introduced. "And no, I didn't shoot the cabbie," the Captain harrumphs, lifting his chin preemptively. "Takes more than an idiot with a death wish to wind me up."

The Captain doesn't stay long. Sherlock almost catches the switch this time, but he doesn't know who's taken over. Andrew makes tea later on and doesn't deny being the shooter, when asked.

\-----------------------------------------------------------

Sherlock doesn't realize he's speaking to James Little until James Little sighs, looks up from the laptop, and says so. 

"I'm James Little." Beat. "Apparently you'd be lost without me."

It's been six months. Helene still visits, cold and deathly still. Andrew goes to work and comes on cases sometimes—"but call me John," he says, in no uncertain terms. "I was always John."

\-----------------------------------------------------------

Sherlock wonders which of them accepts Lestrade's invite to the pub. Which one dated Sarah. Who watched him jump eight months prior.

\-----------------------------------------------------------

Someone staggers in late, giggly-drunk and wearing clear evidence of a blowjob in the loo. "James Big in the john," he keeps repeating, listing sideways in the kitchen until Sherlock props him up on the table. "James big in the John."

Sherlock asks about it the next morning. James Little rolls his eyes and says he can't be held accountable for the other James' drunken nattering. Sherlock, unthinking, asks how many Jims there _are_ in there, and spends the next two days with Helene.

\-----------------------------------------------------------

"I was messing you around," James Little says eventually, over tea. He makes better tea than Andrew. "There's only me."

He doesn't have to tell Sherlock there's only one _Jim_ , and that name had better stay dead, too.

\-----------------------------------------------------------

Helene has been asleep for a full month, and James Little has started coming on cases instead of Andrew, when Sherlock finally asks.

"Who was I talking to, from the roof?" He doesn't glance up from his phone. Doesn't look at _them_ , whichever of them—it was Andrew a moment ago. Sherlock can identify them all by now, sometimes without even looking. "Who watched me?"

Someone is staying very, very quiet behind his teacup. The paper rustles faintly.

"Whoever he was, he died on impact," Andrew says, not unkindly. "There's a strange theft article on page six."

\-----------------------------------------------------------

**Author's Note:**

> Minifill written for a kinkmeme [prompt](http://sherlockbbc-fic.livejournal.com/21697.html?thread=126868673#t126868673):
> 
> _For whatever reason since young age John had DID (one personality ia enough but more are welcome). He was aware of it and actually got along with other version(-s) of him and never fought if he/they took control but that was always the secret no one knew (or only Harry knew). After the Reichenbach John could hardly take it and retreated and allowed another to take over his life for unknown amount af time, maybe even forever since John didn't really care at that point.  
>  So when Sherlock comes back from the dead he finds that John is a complete stranger._


End file.
